Pathways : approaches to the study of society in India

The book examines critically, some aspects of the work of several outstanding scholars, Indian, French and American in Part I. Part II provides an insightful commentary on the major approaches to the study of society in India, notably functionalism, structuralism, Marxism, cultural analysis and ethnomethodology.

Pathways is an important contribution in the study of how intellectual traditions grow through a process of critical assessment. Madan first examines various aspects of the work of several outstanding scholars, including D.N. Majumdar and M.N. Srinivas, who have had a major impact on the direction of his own work. Through this examination Madan discusses the major theoretical and methodological perspectives which have guided the study of society in India during the last fifty years. Next, he describes how his own conception of anthropology has evolved during this period, providing an interesting and insightful discussion of some of the substantive concerns of Indian sociology such as the social construction of ethnicity and intellectual responses to the modern West.

Professor Madan critically examines aspects of the work of several outstanding scholars who have influenced his work in different but important ways. He comments on functionalism, structuralism, marxism, cultural analysis and ethnomethodology. He describes how his conception of anthropology has changed over time and discusses some of the substantive concerns of Indian sociology.